Boycott Of Campbell Soups

EDM number 55 in 1995-96, proposed by DN Campbell-Savours on 17/11/1995.

That this House expresses disbelief and profound concern over the decision of Campbell Soups to close the Maryport Homepride plant in West Cumbria; questions how Campbell's reached the decision to purchase Homepride on 4th August 1995 for ú58.6 million and then within eight weeks announce its closure; notes that Maryport Homepride with fixed assets of ú9 million made ú4 million profit last year on a turnover of ú27.7 million; notes that the honourable Member for Workington has approached Group Managing Director Bill Mustoe of Campbell's United Kingdom seeking reconsideration, faxed each member of Campbell's U S. parent board seeking their intervention, called an adjournment debate in Parliament, raised the issue repeatedly in Westminister, discussed the matter with the Prime Minister at a lengthy meeting, on 2nd November, addressed workers both in the Maryport plant and outside the King's Lynn plant calling for the blacking of production transferred from Maryport and repeatedly offered to meet Campbell's United Kingdom to discuss an alternative strategy for the retention of the plant without success, and asked to meet the main board in America and was refused , and to address the American parent's annual general meeting without meaningful response from the company; notes that all these initiatives have been to no avail as the company insists the decision is irreversible; in that light believes that the only way forward is for British consumers to boycott Campbell Soup's prod ucts; and calls upon the wider British public to recognise the appalling injustice and betrayal inherent in this decision and to boycott Campbell Soup's products throughout the United Kingdom.

This motion has been signed by a total of 40 MPs.